Take Part in Illuminate Herstory, Ireland’s annual light festival celebrating women and girls 5th-8th Jan 2018

Friday, January 05, 2018

"The Irish are known as the best storytellers in the world but until now we have only told half the story. The time has come to tell Herstory."

Herstory invites fellow NWCI members to get involved in Illuminate Herstory, Ireland's annual light festival celebrating women and girls, on the weekend of Nollaig na mBan (Women's Little Christmas), 5-8th January 2018

The transformative power of light is timely and essential in these dark times. The fact is women's achievements and struggles have been lost in the shadows for too long, resulting in global inequality and a regression of women's rights. That's why Herstory is using light, to highlight women's stories and turn the spotlight on inequality.

When the Christmas lights are switched off on the first weekend of January every year, Ireland will light up with images of women and visions of equality, and we will invite the world to join us, just like the global greening on St. Patrick’s Day. Illuminate Herstory will go international in 2018 with activity planned in the USA, UK, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia and Malta.

There are 4 themes over 4 days of the #IlluminateHerstory festival:

• Friday January 5: the rise of ‘Ancient Heroines’
• Saturday January 6: ‘Every Woman’, focusing on the centenary of the suffrage movement and the plight of today's migrant women
• Sunday, January 7:‘World of Equals’, celebrating egalitarian partnerships throughout history and today
• Monday, January 8: ‘Voices of the Future’, the first day of the new school term, when young generations will be given special schools workshops to illuminate classrooms with their heroines and visions for an ‘Ireland of Equals’ throughout the month of January 2018.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED:
Visit the HerStory website
Find HerStory on Facebook
Look up HerStory on Twitter
Follow #IlluminateHerstory on social media

The beauty of light festivals is everyone can get involved - you can light up a national landmark or your living room. It's so simple. All you need is a light projector and some images from family photo albums or local archives. And there's no shortage of light projectors in this country - you'll find one in every classroom, boardroom, and pub. Illuminate Herstory is a grassroots festival and we hope people at home in Ireland will get involved and spread the word to friends and family in the Diaspora abroad.

The inaugural Illuminate Herstory Festival in January 2017 saw 16 counties celebrate 198 women by lighting up castles, museums, libraries, theatres, offices and homes.

Please spread the word to kindred spirits!

Starts: 5 January 2018 08:00
Ends: 8 January 2018 09:00
Location: All over Ireland